Lamp support



April 28, 1964 A. I. APPLETON LAMP SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Arfhur I. fhwleton. .53 MM, audpaw Filed June 18, 1962 April 1964 A. I. APPLETON 3,130,925

LAMP SUPPORT Filed June 18, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor aqrflzur I. Appleton 2 wa /Me,

United States Patent "ice j,

3,130,925 LAMP SUPPORT Arthur I. Appleton, 1 Bridlewood Road, Northbrook, Ill. Filed June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,234 2 Claims. (Cl. 2419-52) This invention relates to a lamp support bracket adapted to be associated with a main support, such as an elevated cross-arm or the like.

Heretofore, lamp attachments such as outdoor floodlights, vehicle spotlights and the like have been manufactured with integrally attached brackets that are usually an inseparable part thereof. Exemplary of this is the in: stallation of outdoor park lights in the desired angular position at either end of a cross-arm supported by an upright pole, but it has not heretofore always been possible to do this with ease and facility, especially since it is often diflicult to secure such a lamp easily in the desired angular position. This is particularly so where the bracket has only a left-hand or a right-hand position. By the same token, it is difiicult to disassemble such lamp attachments, Whereas it is desirable that this be accomplished with facility as where portable light installations for outdoor sporting events are to be erected temporarily and then disassembled for installation elsewhere.

The primary object of the present invention is, therefore, to enable a lamp to be readily attached directly to a horizontal arm or the like to extend in normal relation thereto and in the desired operative position thereof.

Advantageously, the foregoing could be accomplished by using a tube as the support and constructing the bracket as an attachment separate and apart from the lamp so that the bracket can be separately fitted to etiher end of the tube at any angle to tilt. This would eliminate the common construction characterized by one lamp with a righthand bracket and another lamp with a left-hand bracket each capable of being fitted only to the correct end of the support, and would greatly facilitate lamp installations. The accomplishment of these advantages represent other objects of the present invention.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what is now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying these principles. Other embodiments of the in vention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation showing two lamps mounted on the opposite ends of a tube support in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of one of the lamps and associated parts as illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the lamp support bracket of the present invention, on an enlarged scale in comparison to FIGS. 1 and 2, and taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmental sectional view substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bracket;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the bracket; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the bracket similar to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 1, the lamps 10 and 11 are typical of outdoor floodlights such as of the quartz type used to illuminate racetracks and the like. The lamps in accordance with the present invention are arranged in tandem relation on a main support tube 12 secured to the upper end of a pole 3,130,925 Patented Apr. 28, 1964 13 or the like. Specifically, the lamps 10 and 11 are intended to be flexibly arranged at the opposed ends of the tube 12 in the operative position or desired angle of tilt. It will be recognized from what is shown in FIG. 1 that the lamp 10 viewed from the front is of left-hand character, and the lamp 11 is of right-hand character.

Where outdoor lamps of the kind under consideration have been provided with attaching brackets correspondingly of left-hand relation and of right-hand relation, many difiiculties have been encountered in installing the same, usually because of the inflexible and non-reversible character of the bracket. In accordance with the present invention, the lamps 10 and 11 are respectively supported to extend normal to the tube 12, which is a desirable state, and at any angle with respect thereto. This is made possible by separate, identical brackets 15 for each lamp, these brackets being reversible in that each includes opposed mounting surfaces of opposite hand at the two sides thereof. Such construction enables a single bracket to be selected and secured independently in a desired position at either end of a main support having opposite end support surfaces of like geometry such as the tube 12.

The bracket 15 is shownin enlarged scale in FIGS. 3 to 7, and represents a one-piece casting inclusive of many convenient features. In FIG. 3, the bracket is shown attached at one end of the tube. In FIG. 7, it is shown attached at the opposite end of the tube. The bracket 15 includes a body portion 16 which is of circular configuration when viewed in plan, and additionally includes a mounting head 17 joined to the body portion 16 by an intermediate neck portion 18.

In order that the bracket 15 can be readily attached to the support 12 to extend at right angles thereto, and reversibly at either end of the tube 12, the body portion of the bracket is provided with support receiving surfaces that in effect are of opposite hand so that either end of the main support, such as the tube 12, can be related thereto.

To this end, and also in order that the lamp can be positioned at the desired angle of tilt relative to the axis of the tube 12, the opposite sides of the body portion 16 of the bracket are provided with annular cavities or recesses 20 and 21, defined by radially spaced annular shoulders 20S20S and 21S21S', which extend into the body portion 16 a sufficient distance to enable an appreciable portion of either end of the tube 12 to be inserted complementally therein as shown in FIG. 3. The recesses 20 and 21 are concentric to the hollow interior of the body portion, and the mounting surfaces represented by the annular internal shoulders 20S and 21S, inward of each side of the bracket, are just slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the tube 12 to enable the latter to fit neatly thereover.

It will be appreciated that the parts of the main support and the bracket that telescopically interfit can be related in different ways in accordance with the present invention.

In order to secure or fasten each bracket 15 stationarily to the main support 12, but at the desired angular position, tapped openings 24 and 25 are provided in the body portion 16 of the bracket. It will be observed that the tapped openings are in two annular series, one series (24) being related to the recess 21) in the bracket, and the other (25) being related to the recess 21 in the bracket. Consequently, set screws as 248, FIG. 4, can be arranged in the openings 24 or the openings 25, depending on whether recess 20, FIG. 1, or the recess 21, FIG. 3, is used to receive the tubular member 12.

Each lamp 10 and 11 is provided with an attaching ear or lug 26 incidental to securing the lamp to the related bracket 15 by a bolt 27 threadedly seated in the mounting head 17 of the bracket 15. To this end, the bracket head 17 is threaded internally at 17T enabling the bolt as 27 2% to be secured therein with the attaching ear or boss 26 of the lamp interposed between the head of the bolt and the flat external bracket surface 17F which is presented to the ear 26 of the lamp.

In apparatus .of the kind under consideration, it is advantageous to secure certain parts such as the wires against corrosion and weather conditions. To this end, the body portion of the bracket 15 is provided with a transverse passage or opening 30, and the hollow interior thus provided within the body 16 communicates with a passage 31 in the neck of the bracket which in turn opens into an enlarged opening 32 in the head of the bracket. Further, the internal cavity 30 is relatively large as will be evident in FIGS. 3 and 7, and a fuse support lug or web 35, which is cast as an internal part of the body portion 16, projects into the cavity 30.

The web 35 is provided with an opening 35A in which is disposed the shank of an attaching screw 36 which secures a bent leg 37A of a fuse support bridge 37 to the web 35.

The relationship of parts is such'that the fuse support bridge 37 projects upward beyond the Web 35 so as to be located within the portion of the cavity 30 that is not occupied by the web 35. The support bridge 37 is apertured, and a lamp fuse 40 is secured therein. The lamp fuse and the wire associated therewith are neatly housed Within the bracket and in effect are sealed therein as will now be explained.

It will be observed that the tube 12, when properly positioned, itself seals one end or side of the cavity 30. The opposite side is closed by a seal plate 41 secured by a screw 42 that is threadedly seated in a threaded opening 35B at what amounts to the upper end of the web 35. The seal plate 41 is of such dimension that the outer peripheral portion thereof masks and conceals whichever one of the annular cavities 20 or 21 which happens not to be occupied by a support end of the tube 12.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the bracket of the present invention is one that is separable and apart from the lamp that is to be connected thereto, and this bracket is of such configuration as to be secured to a hori zontal support to extend normal thereto, and at any desired angular position with respect to the angle of support. Additionally, the bracket in effect has mounting surfaces of opposite hand to enable the same to be secured selectively to either end of a tube or similar support. The

bracket is easily secured in position by screws or the like, and is just as easily removed which is of importance to lighting installations which are to be erected temporarily and then disassembled for later use or for use elsewhere.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not Wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Lamp support apparatus comprising a one-piece reversible lamp bracket for easy reversible attachment to either the left-hand end or right-hand end of a uniformly dimensioned tubular support means to extend substantially at right angles to said support means and comprising a body portion having a hollow interior opening at each side thereof, a hollow neck portion structurally con nected to and extending generally at right angles to the body portion and a hollow mounting head structurally connected to and projecting from the neck portion to support a lamp housing, said body portion having substantially identical opposite left and right-hand sides each presenting a pair of radially spaced annular shoulders defining therebetween at each side of the body portion substantially identical interior annular recesses concentric t0 the hollow interior of the body portion and extending into said body portion a suflicient distance to enable an appreciabie portion of either end of such a tubular support means to be telescopically fitted into a selected one of the recesses substantially in a seal fit fashion while enabling the lamp bracket to be adjusted circumferentially thereabout to any desired angle of tilt relative to the tube axis,

' the exterior of said body portion at the opposite sides thereof having spaced fastener openings for removable fasteners in communication with said recesses to enable the bracket to be secured thereby to a selected end of such a tubular support means at any desired angle of tilt relative to the axis thereof, a removable seal plate and fastening means related thereto for the unselected side of the body portion of the bracket, not having the end of such a tubular support means fitted thereto, covering the unselected annular recess and the open end of the hollow bracket-and the right hand end thereof fitted into the left hand annular recess of another such bracket, such brack-- ets having the opposite hand sides thereof closed off by. seal plates of the aforesaid kind.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,681,470 Dress Aug. 21, 192.8 1,821,949 Selah Sept. 8, 1931 2,644,027 Caffero June 30, 1953 Seidman Dec. 13, 1960 

1. LAMP SUPPORT APPARATUS COMPRISING A ONE-PIECE REVERSIBLE LAMP BRACKET FOR EASY REVERSIBLE ATTACHMENT TO EITHER THE LEFT-HAND END OR RIGHT-HAND END OF A UNIFORMLY DIMENSIONED TUBULAR SUPPORT MEANS TO EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND COMPRISING A BODY PORTION HAVING A HOLLOW INTERIOR OPENING AT EACH SIDE THEREOF, A HOLLOW NECK PORTION STRUCTURALLY CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING GENERALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE BODY PORTION AND A HOLLOW MOUNTING HEAD STRUCTURALLY CONNECTED TO AND PROJECTING FROM THE NECK PORTION TO SUPPORT A LAMP HOUSING, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL OPPOSITE LEFT AND RIGHT-HAND SIDES EACH PRESENTING A PAIR OF RADIALLY SPACED ANNULAR SHOULDERS DEFINING THEREBETWEEN AT EACH SIDE OF THE BODY PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL INTERIOR ANNULAR RECESSES CONCENTRIC TO THE HOLLOW INTERIOR OF THE BODY PORTION AND EXTENDING INTO SAID BODY PORTION A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO ENABLE AN APPRECIABLE PORTION OF EITHER END OF SUCH A TUBULAR SUPPORT MEANS TO BE TELESCOPICALLY FITTED INTO A SELECTED ONE OF THE RECESSES SUBSTANTIALLY IN A SEAL FIT FASHION WHILE ENABLING THE LAMP BRACKET TO BE ADJUSTED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THERE- 